My Intro to Sabmag, October 1998
Oct. 28th, 1998 07:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elizillaHello SabMaggots!
I've decided to follow the example of some other new listers, and introduce myself. My name is Katherine Becker. I'm from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and I've been lurking for a week or so.
I never rode a motorcycle, except once in awhile as a passenger, until this year. But I'm no stranger to the troubles one encounters on two wheels. I spent three years bicycle commuting year 'round. When people asked me what kind of cyclist I was (racer, mountain biker, etc) I would say "One who always gets where she's going." :-) I also taught Effective Cycling (sort of like the pedal bike equivalent of an MSF course) for a couple of years. If you think motorcycles are invisible to the cagers, try being a bicyclist! A lot of the Effective Cycling techniques focus on things like choosing the best road position, and I find that a lot of it translates very well to motorcycling. I've been commuting by motorcycle for the last couple months, and I've had remarkably little trouble with the cages.
I took the MSF class in June. The book stuff was easy, I knew half of it from Effective Cycling already. The range stuff was harder. I was really scared, and I had a hard time keeping all the different motions straight. When I reached for the front brake, it was the clutch. I had to do unfamiliar things with my feet, and mine are both left feet. The bikes were so tiny I kept banging my knees on the handlebars. Also, it was over 90 degrees and sunny out there on the range, and there we were riding five miles per hour on air-cooled bikes while wearing coats, long pants, boots, and helmets. I thought I would pass out, and I failed my road test.
I thought maybe the fates were against me, that I'd never be a motorcyclist. So I bought a beat-up, cheap Yamaha Seca 550, as a small bike to get started on. I thought it would do for me for the rest of the riding season. It was a week before I left my subdivision. At one point I was pursued by two children on mopeds and I was too scared to speed away from them. But then I started to get the hang of it. Erik Kauppi, who is on this list, was kind enough to be the licensed rider my learner's permit required to supervise me. The first time I left my neighborhood (the first time I went over 40mph!) I got hit in the head by a bird, about five miles from my house. I didn't crash, or go out of my lane or even weave very much, though I was quite startled. Maybe I could do this after all. I took the road test again and passed. This was in July.
Since then I've ridden about 5000 miles, first on the baby Seca, and then on a Yamaha Maxim 750. I decided that the 750 was better than the 550, but that I preferred the standard to the cruiser. With a little advice and help from Erik, I disassembled the carbs on the Maxim, cleaned the pieces, and put them back together. I've also weathered a few mechanical problems on the road. I've taken two weekend trips on the Maxim, and I have trip reports on my web site, at
St Thomas
Central Ohio
They're long, and they aren't on a SabMag bike, so I won't send them to the list.
Earlier this month, I went out for a ride with Erik, and I tried his Sabre, Dogbreath. It was very nice. I asked Erik to help me find my own V65 Sabre. In case you were wondering, no, the Sabre is not too tall for me even if I am female. I'm almost 6 feet tall, long legged and sturdy. I can easily put both feet on the ground while sitting on the Sabre. The bike feels like it was made for me.
Erik found me a Sabre much more quickly than I had expected him to. We rode two-up to Naperville, Illinois, and bought a V65 Sabre from Greg, who is also on the list. We rode back. Erik (who always drives fast) was chasing this Jaguar, and I stayed right on his tail, fringe and braid flying behind me. The bike has no windshield, but I discovered that if I put my feet on the passenger pegs and rested my chin on the tank bag it was quite comfy and the wind hardly bothered me.
Greg and Erik worked on the bike at Greg's house. I would have worked on it too, but I deferred to them since they know more, and we needed to be getting home sometime that weekend. I watched, and saw the cams, which are kinda messed up. Erik is good at explaining these things. I'm untrained but mechanically inclined and learning fast. Last week I got new tires, the Avon Roadrunners, but the wheels still aren't back on, because the fork seals leak and oil has gotten on the front brakes. Sunday Erik and I worked on the forks, and soon we'll do the brakes. This winter we will do the oil mod. I've ordered the POR15 tank kit, and I'll probably do that by myself, it looks easy enough.
Anyways, this is getting kind of long, and I'm late for dinner, so I'll stop now. I look forward to riding the Sabre to some of the SabMag gatherings and meeting some of you!
-
I've decided to follow the example of some other new listers, and introduce myself. My name is Katherine Becker. I'm from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and I've been lurking for a week or so.
I never rode a motorcycle, except once in awhile as a passenger, until this year. But I'm no stranger to the troubles one encounters on two wheels. I spent three years bicycle commuting year 'round. When people asked me what kind of cyclist I was (racer, mountain biker, etc) I would say "One who always gets where she's going." :-) I also taught Effective Cycling (sort of like the pedal bike equivalent of an MSF course) for a couple of years. If you think motorcycles are invisible to the cagers, try being a bicyclist! A lot of the Effective Cycling techniques focus on things like choosing the best road position, and I find that a lot of it translates very well to motorcycling. I've been commuting by motorcycle for the last couple months, and I've had remarkably little trouble with the cages.
I took the MSF class in June. The book stuff was easy, I knew half of it from Effective Cycling already. The range stuff was harder. I was really scared, and I had a hard time keeping all the different motions straight. When I reached for the front brake, it was the clutch. I had to do unfamiliar things with my feet, and mine are both left feet. The bikes were so tiny I kept banging my knees on the handlebars. Also, it was over 90 degrees and sunny out there on the range, and there we were riding five miles per hour on air-cooled bikes while wearing coats, long pants, boots, and helmets. I thought I would pass out, and I failed my road test.
I thought maybe the fates were against me, that I'd never be a motorcyclist. So I bought a beat-up, cheap Yamaha Seca 550, as a small bike to get started on. I thought it would do for me for the rest of the riding season. It was a week before I left my subdivision. At one point I was pursued by two children on mopeds and I was too scared to speed away from them. But then I started to get the hang of it. Erik Kauppi, who is on this list, was kind enough to be the licensed rider my learner's permit required to supervise me. The first time I left my neighborhood (the first time I went over 40mph!) I got hit in the head by a bird, about five miles from my house. I didn't crash, or go out of my lane or even weave very much, though I was quite startled. Maybe I could do this after all. I took the road test again and passed. This was in July.
Since then I've ridden about 5000 miles, first on the baby Seca, and then on a Yamaha Maxim 750. I decided that the 750 was better than the 550, but that I preferred the standard to the cruiser. With a little advice and help from Erik, I disassembled the carbs on the Maxim, cleaned the pieces, and put them back together. I've also weathered a few mechanical problems on the road. I've taken two weekend trips on the Maxim, and I have trip reports on my web site, at
St Thomas
Central Ohio
They're long, and they aren't on a SabMag bike, so I won't send them to the list.
Earlier this month, I went out for a ride with Erik, and I tried his Sabre, Dogbreath. It was very nice. I asked Erik to help me find my own V65 Sabre. In case you were wondering, no, the Sabre is not too tall for me even if I am female. I'm almost 6 feet tall, long legged and sturdy. I can easily put both feet on the ground while sitting on the Sabre. The bike feels like it was made for me.
Erik found me a Sabre much more quickly than I had expected him to. We rode two-up to Naperville, Illinois, and bought a V65 Sabre from Greg, who is also on the list. We rode back. Erik (who always drives fast) was chasing this Jaguar, and I stayed right on his tail, fringe and braid flying behind me. The bike has no windshield, but I discovered that if I put my feet on the passenger pegs and rested my chin on the tank bag it was quite comfy and the wind hardly bothered me.
Greg and Erik worked on the bike at Greg's house. I would have worked on it too, but I deferred to them since they know more, and we needed to be getting home sometime that weekend. I watched, and saw the cams, which are kinda messed up. Erik is good at explaining these things. I'm untrained but mechanically inclined and learning fast. Last week I got new tires, the Avon Roadrunners, but the wheels still aren't back on, because the fork seals leak and oil has gotten on the front brakes. Sunday Erik and I worked on the forks, and soon we'll do the brakes. This winter we will do the oil mod. I've ordered the POR15 tank kit, and I'll probably do that by myself, it looks easy enough.
Anyways, this is getting kind of long, and I'm late for dinner, so I'll stop now. I look forward to riding the Sabre to some of the SabMag gatherings and meeting some of you!
-
